Warning Cubed

Hazards?

What hazards?

This has Mother of the Year written all over it.

Hawaiian Monk Seal

Monachus schauinslandi
ʻIlio-holo-i-ka-uaua 

The Hawaiian monk seal is found primarily in the Leeward Islands, but they sometimes stray eastward to the main Hawaiian group.  They were heavily hunted by whalers and sealers in the nineteenth century, and were disturbed again during World War II, when U.S. forces occupied Laysan and Midway islands.  Recent surveys have estimated the population at about 1,400 animals.  They are fully protected, but they seem very susceptible to attacks by tiger sharks.  Of all the monk seals, this species is the best known, because it has been studied in its native habitat, and has been successfully maintained in captivity, particularly at the Waikiki Aquarium.

- Richard Ellis; Aquagenesis: The Origin and Evolution of Life in the Sea

We watched these seals playing together at Ka’ena Point State Park today.  Fun times!

Contaminated Waters

Oh, noes!

August 2nd? Seriously?

I just found out that Hawaii begins the new school year on the 2nd of August.  

But, but, but!  We're still not done with last year's books!  And when I say that, I don't mean it the way I did last year.  We're not six lessons away from finishing the grammar book. We're 30 lessons away from finishing the grammar book!  We don't have just one more math test to take.  We have five more math tests to take!  They haven't finished their reading lists!  JellyMan hasn't learned how to type!  Anemone hasn't learned the Greek alphabet!

What the hell am I going to do?

First of all, I'm not going to panic.  I'm going to start our school year on September 7th, just as I had planned, and I'm going to work The Goobs like rented mules until they finish their books.  (That should be easier than usual because The Man just had 12 hours per week added to his work schedule.)  And as we finish a book, we'll just roll on to the next one.  That will totally screw up my beautiful weekly lesson plans, but that's what you get when you blow off school to play at the beach.

We LIVE here!

Saturday Mom Confession #24

I stole JellyMan’s boogie board.

Do I look like I’m sorry?

Waimea Falls

The State Bird of Hawaii (No, not really.)

Aloha Furniture (or) More Pictures for Kristy

Usually when we PCS we end up sitting on cheap lawn chairs and sleeping on the floor while we’re waiting for our household goods to arrive, but this time the housing office provided us with a full set of furniture!  Sure, it was uncomfortable, but it beat the hell out of sleeping bags and folding chairs.

Here is the family room furniture:

No, the piano didn’t come with the Aloha furniture.  We had to buy that ourselves.

They lent us a dining room table with four chairs, and bed and dresser for each bedroom as well, along with a washer and dryer.  It was wonderful, and we really appreciated it.

There, Kristy.  I hope you’re happy.  :)

Hanauma Bay

We haven't attended church services in quite some time, but I can't help feeling that sleeping through a beautiful Sunday morning is an affront to our Creator.  Everyone else in my family feels fairly certain that Jesus loves us even when we're sleeping, so it took some doing to roust them from their beds and hustle them to Hanauma Bay for some early morning (we arrived at 7:30) snorkeling.

It was worth it, don't you think?  I took this picture while we were waiting for the next showing of the lamest reef protection video ever made (all visitors have to see it, but residents only have to watch it once a year).  The Man and I, being the optimists that we are, hoped we'd finally learn how to properly pronounce the name of the bay - he says, "Ha-na-oo-ma" and I say, "Ha-now-ma."  Sadly, both pronunciations were used along with a third option: "Hoe-no-ma."  I hate it when our hopes are crushed like that. 

After the movie, we watched a mongoose snag his breakfast from a garbage can, hiked down the paved road to the beach, claimed a spot under this palm tree:

and commenced snorkeling.

I'm sure it will be better after we learn the layout of the reef, but yesterday was an ordeal.  We would start out together in open water, but all of a sudden we'd find ourselves separated in a maze of coral, and then, before we knew what hit us, we'd be in six inches of water above a large nest of sea urchins, wishing we hadn't eaten that big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.  Plus the ocean was pretty rough, and even though the bay is very protected we kept getting pushed back to shore or sucked out to sea - only there were always big rocks in our way.  Ouch!  But break time (we make The Goobers take a breather and reapply sunscreen every 45 minutes or so) was just fabulous.

There were tons of fish, of course, and we're trying our best to learn to their scientific, common, and Hawaiian names.  It would be a lot easier if the fish would cooperate and hold still for us!  An underwater camera would be helpful, but it's just not in the budget right now.  (Hawaii is lovely, but it ain't cheap.)  If you like, you can check out the most commonly seen marine life at the Hawaii Coral Reef Network.

By 10:00 the bay was filling up fast.  We had to navigate the reef, avoid the strong currents, fight the wave action, and dodge the more aggressive of the Japanese tourists.  Chillax, Japanese tourists.  There is plenty to go around - you really don't have to run over the little white girl to see yet another sea cucumber.  They're here, there, and everywhere.

See that long snake of people coming down the hill?  That was our cue to gather up our stuff and run away.  There is a tram that will take you to the top for $1 a person, but The Squares think trams are for sissies.  Plus you can't take a bunch of pictures and stitch them into a Photoshop panorama if you ride the tram with the old ladies.

And you can't justify rewarding yourself with hot malasadas if you ride the stupid tram, either.  Oh, Hawaii.  You're pretty, but malasadas are ono-licious.

Tourist Information for Hanauma Bay

Parking:  $1

Admission:  $7.50 per person, fee waived for children under 13 and Hawaii residents (including active duty military and dependents with ID)

Tram:  $1 per person each way, or $2.50 per person for an all day pass.

Hours:  Winter: 6 to 6; closed Tuesdays; open til 10:00 p.m. on 2nd Saturday of each month
             Summer: 6 to 7; closed Tuesdays; open til 10:00 p.m. on 2nd & 4th Saturdays of each month

The parking lot was closed by the time we left - get there early on the weekends!

Lifeguard announcements are issued in English and Japanese.

Snorkeling equipment available for rent.